Unwritten: A Novel

Read a LOT of books..... This one being a new author for me, has me downloading more Charles Martin. A great read from
Page 1. Will make you smile, laugh and cry. EVERYTHING a great read should be.

Gripping and compelling; great for those looking to get lost in a story. Charles Martin's style is easy to read and not dry or drawn out in the slightest. I finished it in about three days while out at the beach.

Could not wait for this book to come out. I have read all of his books, and enjoyed every one. So enjoyable to get lost in the stories and feel what the characters are feeling. I ordered one for each of my daughters, hoping they'll want to read more of his books.

Very well written in a very unique style. Easy to read, thoughtful, and tackling tough stories of real-life issues. The story is laced with a good bit of mystery, a touch of romance, and lots of story twists. I would highly recommend.

I was sad when I reached the end because I wanted the book to go on forever. I absolutely loved the various settings in the story. The characters remind the reader that having everything in this world still cannot make you happy. Great Read!

I was sad when I reached the end because I wanted the book to go on forever. I absolutely loved the various settings in the story. The characters remind the reader that having everything in this world still cannot make you happy. Great Read!

I have loved every book Charles Martin has written, and Unwritten is no exception! I recommend his books to everyone wIth whom I discuss books. My biggest convert? My 87 year old mother, an avid reader and Charles Martin lover!

I have never done a review before but I loved this book so much! I couldn't relate to any character but it was fascinating and was a story that could really happen. No curse words and no sex scenes. Great read!

A friend at work suggested that I read "When Crickets Cry" by this author. I have been a fan of his ever since. I love every book by him that I have read. He never fails to tell an engrossing story.

I just finished reading Charles Martin's latest book and I love it. It is written in classic Charles Martin form - it draws you in and captures your heart. I love the ending in this book. I highly recommend it.

Charles Martin is a long time favorite, his books are captivating and lifelike. My only complaint is he doesn't write fast enough! I could read a book a week of his. I highly suggest his books to anyone that reads, the books cross genres and age categories.

Once you read him you'll be hooked!

Charles Martin has a way with words. He takes a good story, adds some twists and comes away with a fine read. There's nothing too challenging about it at all. It's just quality reading and fine entertainment.

All of Charles Martin's book are 5 star and worth reading and keeping. Before I had the Kindle Fire I kept all of the paper books - now I can read his books on the Kindle and have my own virtual library - I love the characters in this book and the way he brings you through the storyline - he's my favourite author!

I loved this book!!! The characters were so real an the story so compelling. I read it in two days because could not put it down. Get the tissues ready for the ending, very sweet. Looking at Moore choices from Mr. Martin now.

This guy hooked me with his first book and I stalk him for new ones. Spent the entirety of today having a mental health day and reading this latest book in its entirety. Jacksonville is my home town... Thanks for bringing me home again.

I USUALLY FINISH A BOOK IN NO MORE THAN THREE DAYS. IT TOOK ME A WEEK TO GET THROUGH THIS AND FINALLY GAVE IT UP MORE OR LESS IN THE LAST 50 PAGES. I KEPT FALLING ASLEEP WHILE I WAS READING IT - IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY!! AND I AM NOT PRONE TO NAPPING. I STARTED TO THINK THAT MY KINDLE WAS PUTTING OFF SOME KIND OF NOXIOUS FUMES.

Sorry, I stuck with it until the middle at which point I couldn't bear it any longer. Shallow, unrealistic characters and situations. This might have be salvageable had some reality been woven into it, but this was one big fantasy. Of course, if that's what you're looking for--a story that has no hint of foundation in reality--then this book is for you. The main characters are difficult if not impossible to relate to, and the situations presented in the first half of the book are so unrealistic that, no matter how hard I tried, I could not connect with them at any level. Also, money is, apparently, never an issue for anyone and is portrayed as a burden. There's a baseline assumption that the characters have plenty of it right from the start, and things like intentionally blowing up a one's own large, expensive boat clearly provide relief to the character who owned it. If you're so miserable being filthy rich and famous, why not just walk away from it without such ridiculous drama? Just not my cup of tea.

I have read every Charles Martin book and am once again most impressed -- he remains my favorite Christian fiction author -- and like aged wine, he just keeps getting better and better. This novel is another one of his very best that follows many paths through the two main characters, Sunday and Katie, which are intertwined throughout with secrets revealed with purpose and intent. Father Steady is the constant and steady persona pushing the two main characters ever forward in their lives to resolve "old" emotional baggage and still-to-be-faced life challenging events. The reader becomes so involved in the characters' individual experiences that they seem like friends you know and don't want to lose contact with -- but the book does end and all loose ends are fully explained and resolved most thoroughly. This novel reminds us that when faced in life with trials and tribulations, choices are made that may impact many lives and for Martin to be able to provide such an incredible depth to his characters' inner turmoils is a rare talent -- and one fully appreciated once again by his loyal readers. [An added bonus: the quality of Charles Martin's writings do not end with this incredible story -- at the end of the book the author's insightful answers to a number of questions provides a rich understanding of the inner workings of his thinking process, the storyline's evolution and its many twisting paths.] I will continue to read Charles Martin's novels and eagerly look forward to his future writings with pleasure.

A priest, a recluse, and an actress with the priest being the person who is connected to and the link to both of them. Father Steady helped Sunday with a problem at one time in his life, and now Father Steady needed Sunday to help Katie with her problem.

Can he and does he help her especially since Katie is not a likable person and is keeping a secret from the world? Sunday unwillingly agrees to help because Father Steady asked him, but Sunday isn't very keen on the idea of helping a stranger. A stranger who eventually becomes a friend.

The first few pages of the book were very evasive, and the intrigue pulled me in immediately. Actually, the entire book was filled with evasiveness, secrets, and characters with secrets and inner struggles. The author's writing style is insightful, brilliant, and a style that draws you in.

Mr. Martin's descriptions of characters and landscapes were incredible and beautiful. You will experience amazing detail about the Everglades and bask in the lush descriptions that make you feel as though you are sitting with the characters. You will also get a detailed, guided tour of Paris and the town of Langeais, France. You will be drawn to Katie, the movie star, who was used to nothing but luxury, Father Steady, who can be called her saving grace, and Sunday who gets pulled into it all and doesn't know how or why he did.

The book has an uncommon, but exceptional theme. To me the book was addressing the fragility of humans and their choices no matter what their stations in life are and finding oneself using memories as the basis. Memories that in this case were painful. It also addresses the issue of making the best of what life sends your way.

The beginning pages were a bit confusing, but indistinct enough to keep you wondering what actually was happening and going to happen. UNWRITTEN is definitely worth what I think was an "on purpose" ambiguity of the first chapter. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, the storyline, and the reflection. This book was profound and powerful.

UNWRITTEN is a book that will have you analyzing, reflecting, and examining life. Have some tissues handy for the ending.

My final comment is this: The one word you will use and the one I used as I turned the last page is: WOW!! 5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.

Whenever I can’t stand a book or movie, I head over to the store to see what people who did like it saw in it. In this case, not only can I not fathom how the 5-Star reviews are talking about the same book I read, I can’t even understand what the 1-Star reviews are talking about. I got to the sixth chapter but could not discern any actual plot or character development. There has been one event so far. One. We get excruciating detail on gifts given to each or approximately 20 sick kids at a hospital somewhere, and pages of detail on the wildlife and geography of the Florida Keys, and don’t forget the tons of tired dialogue between the (unnamed) conflicted main character and a Catholic priest who has seen it all. I can’t say whether I found it unrealistic (as some other reviewers have written) because virtually nothing happened. Friends, I’m a law professor who read and enjoyed Cloud Atlas. I can read anything, but this one has me stumped. I liked some of the author’s other work, but I am dropping this dud 17% in.

Total crap - predictable, religious laden. I would have stopped after 100 pages (that is the number of pages I will give a book - before I abandon it) but I agreed to read this for my book club. I feel so shanghaied!!!

I wasn't sure I was going to like this book. The first couple of chapters didn't grab me at all, and I was second guessing my decision to put this book on my birthday wish list. However, I have liked everything I have read by Charles Martin, so I kept reading and it did soon grab me. I think this is the 4th book I have read by Martin, and I am impressed and amazed at the multilayered characters he comes up with. This book was no different in that aspect. I liked "Sunday" right away and found myself envying his lifestyle, and though I didn't like Katie at first, she grew on me. I thought the plot was extraordinary, and was totally surprised when "Sunday" finally did share his story. Although God isn't mentioned a lot in the book, the theme runs all through the book that a life can be changed and a different course can be set.

When you start to wonder what characters in a novel would think of your review of them, that's when you know you've got yourself a winner. It's all so unbelievable, but the author makes you believe it all anyway.

Charles Martin's novel, Unwritten, is so jam-packed with action, adventure, and absolute deliciousness, that I literally couldn't put it down. I read it in just two sittings.

Although it is filled with boat crashes, flames, suicidal attempts, and other explosive events, it is also a tender and extraordinary love story.

The heroine is extremely gifted, rich, and famous, yet she is still a lost soul, until the hero and his friend, an unusual fisherman priest, step in to try to rescue her. The hero, himself, has withdrawn from the world and is also a fisherman. He only reveals the secret of his successful literary career to save the suicidal actress.

He is a hero, not only in the sense of protagonist, but is also a savior to disabled children, some dying from cancer and other illnesses in a hospital ward. These children--most of them unwanted or abandoned, just as the hero was as a child--find their only hope in the hospital library.

The hero is a writer, and he reads his inspiring books aloud to the children to heal them--literally. His writing also heals the actress, the strange woman who transforms his life, just as his ultimate decision to share his Dickensian life story transforms her own life.

I can just imagine it, but then again, I probably had a similar experience. You're in the bookstore, your the store page, and you see a book that stares you down, because it simply states, "Unwritten," by Charles Martin. HUH? Hey, what's that supposed to mean? If I'm Martin, and I'm a fly on the wall, watching the expression on the faces of readers, I'm laughing my head off going, "THAT'S the point. Just read the book already!!" Because you really don't have much of a clue as to what you're getting into, do you? You just know that the book is "Unwritten," and the author is Charles Martin, and if you just walk away, you'll always have unanswered questions!

Welcome to the world of Steady Capri, a priest who helps others. He knows a lot about it, and getting his hands dirty isn't something he fears. But when you happen to know the world of a superstar such as Katie Quinn, will it be so easy to help such a person? Hey, Katie has her baggage, and the whole world knows who she is, and they adore her. But Katie doesn't adore Katie, and she's prepared to do something about it, and let everybody forget her, and the world can just go on.

Steady has another friend, and we'll call him Sunday. This guy appreciates his seclusion, being alone, not being disturbed, and that's the way he likes it. Leave him with the fishes, and he's a happy man. Well, he doesn't mind the company of Steady, and without warning, a favor is called in. Will you risk your seclusion to look out for fame and fortune? Oh, great. Yeah, in case you might be missing it, Sunday has a past as well, and sometimes he wishes the world would just buzz off, and leave him alone. And now this famous chick will reluctantly enter his domain of privacy, which will ultimately take them to Paris, and have the both of them learning a lot more about the other than they figured possible.

Through the pages of "Unwritten," there are some harsh lessons, and sometimes you can't just peel back a band-aid gently...sometimes you have to rip that sucker off! From time to time, a journey has to be made that will be well outside your comfort zone, and you don't know if they pay-off will be worth it. "Unwritten" doesn't make the claim of promising the living of happily ever after. But it does keep going, and stays "Unwritten," until the author says the story is complete. To me, it was worth every page!

"I wanted to get out of there before someone found us. Accused us. Steady sat unfazed. Unmoving. She curled into a fetal position in his lap while he whispered in the air above her.

The circular burn around her neck was not going away any time soon. A tattoo sans ink. As were the burns on my hands. I made my way to the kitchen sink, ran cold water over the raw meat in my palms, and then handed a wet towel to Steady. He dabbed her neck. Soothing her skin.

She lay there, sobbing. Shaking uncontrollably. What I saw was not the women who lit the silver screen, walked the red carpet, graced the cover of Vogue, People, or name your tabloid, but a broken human being at the bottom. I slid down the wall, and sat quietly, deciding something I'd long since suspected but never known for sure. Man, or woman, is not made to be worshipped. We are not physically cut out for it. Life in the spotlight, on the pedestal, at the top of the world was a lonely, singular, desolate, soul-killing place." (pg 42).

To say that Katie Quinn was on top of the world, would be an understatement. She could have anything she ever dreamed and nothing was out of her reach. Being the highest paid female in Hollywood, she could command an 8 figure salary on anything she signed her name to and others got paid to make sure that happened. But money doesn't buy you happiness no matter how much you have and that is something Katie has discovered as she realizes this isn't the life she ever dreamed it would be. Most don't, until they live it and after awhile, desperately wish things were different.

Thankfully for her, Steady, her priest, realized that she was going to attempt suicide that afternoon when she went to confession leaving all her worldly possessions and power of attorney of her estate to him. Now he just needed to find a way to reach the person she was outside of Hollywood's leading roles and find a way to heal the pain so deep inside her that the only way to relieve that pain would be to take a gracefully bow off her penthouse in Miami. But God has other plans in store for Katie and it will begin by first choosing one of three doors set before her. Once she chooses, she can never go back. He just hopes she will choose the right one.

I received Unwritten by Charles Martin compliments of Center Street Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Groups for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own, except where otherwise noted. Charles Martin is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. In fact, just seeing his name on any book will guarantee I will read it. There are that great! Think Nicholas Sparks, Dan Walsh, Andy Andrews and you have an idea of the type of novel that will completely captivate you and transport you to a time and place of the characters you will discover there. This is the story of how broken people can find healing again, if, they are willing to search for it. It lies within us all and I think there is a part of us that can relate to Katie or Sunday, the man who offers to walk by her side for the journey. What you will discover in the end, is something so remarkable you have to pick up a copy of Unwritten and read it for yourself. There are second chances and fresh starts waiting just inside! I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars! Unforgettable!!!

I had my doubts that Charles Martin could affect me with another book as deeply as he did with The Mountain Between Us or The Dead Don't Dance. This is the 8th book I've read by him. I had just read Thunder and Rain and while it was good, it wasn't my favorite, so my thought was that maybe he's lost his edge, he's said all there is to say, the magic has worn off, etc, etc. I'm so glad I was wrong.

Other reviewers that have given this book only one or two stars have mentioned valid points. He goes into too much detail about fly fishing, the main characters are spoiled, rich brats who are too wrapped up in themselves, some of the plot lines are too unbelievable. All of these things are true, but Martin tells the story in such a compelling manner, it doesn't matter. For example, I love the book by Victor Hugo, Les Miserables, however when he goes into great, detailed information about the students' protests or the battle scenes, I admit my eyes sometimes glass over and I have to skip ahead to the next chapter. Information overload, or whatever you wish to call it. Charles Martin, on the other hand, has a knack of describing the ordinary and mundane in such a way that I am captivated and do not even notice that pages and pages have gone by and he's simply describing the scene around the characters, whether it's the streets of Paris or the hidden back waters of the Florida Everglades.

No matter if you can or can not relate to the circumstances of Katie and Sunday's lives, you cannot help but feel extreme empathy for two such wounded souls. No, I cannot imagine what it would be like to own a chateau in France or hire a private jet or write number one selling books, but I've lived pain. And Sunday and Katie have lived a lifetime of pain. It's called the human existence and Charles Martin captures the human experience as well as any writer I've ever read, modern or not.

Simply stunning. I'm so glad to find that Charles Martin, even in his ninth book, still keeps the stories fresh and interesting. I know he doesn't write about any location that he hasn't personally visited (read this in an interview) and it shows. After reading each of his books, I've expanded my bucket list locations to include the Everglades, the French countryside, the remote mountains of the Colorado backcountry, a Texas ranch, and most likely after his next book, Nicaragua. I pray he continues to churn them out year after year. My only wish Mr. Martin......please make Pirate Ned and His Band of Misfits an actual book. I'm sure you've got it in your head.

Wonderfully written, touched my heart.

I was reading this book when my youngest daughter passed away unexpectedly. If the book had not been so well written, I probably would have put it down. Needless to say, I finished the book and it touched my heart in many ways. The writer takes you on a journey into the lives of a priest, an actress and a young man who lives a secluded life and how these three characters lives come together. It is a book of hope and how we can make a positive change in the lives we touch.
Timothy Glass Author of Just This Side of Heaven and Postcards

What kind of mystery with a plethora of twists and turns topped off with many surprises would tantalize you into reading a novel? The kind of mystery that is enjoyable and riveting with suspense? If so, this is the kind you will read in Unwritten, the latest by author Charles Martin. When I read a synopsis of Unwritten, I wasn't all that drawn to it at first. It sounded interesting, but not even close to what I found within the covers. Three main characters, who are vastly different in more ways than I will reveal, keep the reader enticed to read another page. The first character is a man who goes above and beyond the norm to bless kids in a hospital at birthdays and Christmas. No one knows who he is; he is enigmatic. Next, a woman who is speaking with an elderly priest is trying hard not to be noticed. She has been known to the priest for over 20 years. She gives him an assignment of sorts. Finally, an elderly priest who knows a lot about the other two, but keeps the confidences shared about both of them. He is a hero of sorts, saving her life and sharing her pain, but decides to help in a way that changes all of them. Just to make sure you know, I haven't revealed this information in the order in which it appears in the novel.
The setting is mainly the southernmost tip of Florida and beyond to islands that aren't barren of human presence, but useful for the needs of the two men and one woman. The priest is the only one who can come and go without the need to camouflage himself or his life, or is he? It is said that an onion has many layers; the woman was like the onion with many layers that hid the person she really was. So, in part two of the novel, the mystery of the identity of the woman is central, but the affects it has on her companion will surprise you even though both of them have a past that is shrouded. The priest, named Steady, has remained in the States. This trip was to bring about the unveiling of the two other characters for reasons you'll discover as you read.
If you enjoy a novel that has mysteries within a mystery, then this wonderful story is for you. Here I was reading about three different characters, two shrouded in a past the author reveals very slowly, plus a priest with a story of his own to tell. I enjoyed the fact that the chapters were short in length which made the action move swifter. It was fun to see France through the characters' eyes as well as how others placed value on the characters' lives. I was surprised to find such a hidden treasure and I recommend it highly!

You start reading the latest novel by Charles Martin, and by the third word... you will decide if you delve further or stop there. If you are willing to look up a word you never heard before, realize that this book is going to be a literary work of art, and if you can handle it. If you are looking for a light, summer read, you won't get past the third word. I am not going to tell you what it is!!

Famous actress Katie Quinn is rich beyond belief, well known around the world, with the world at her fingertips. On the surface she has it all together with numerous awards and followers. Deep down Katie has secrets that are tearing her up. Hatred, self loathing, self pity, lead her to the decision to end it all.

Her priest Steady chooses to intervene in her suicide attempt with a unique friend, Sunday. Sunday is a hermit, lives on a boat as far south of FL as he can get and still be in America. He is a nomad, a fisherman, a nameless, faceless man to the general public and that is just how he wants it. The only person he has had conversation with in the past 10 years is Steady.

Sunday and Steady get to Katie just as she jumps off her penthouse deck, rope around her neck. They take Katie to Sunday's boat to think and rest. The world is in an uproar, unable to find her. Sunday shares with her three options. To give up, and check out. To go on as she is. Thirdly to fake her death and start afresh. She chooses option three and Sunday helps her get there.

This novel goes deep into the human spirit, to delve deep into the characters, beyond their outside facade, and into their inter-most feelings. As these two characters share in their words and silence we are able to see the story unwind as the secrets begin to unfold.
I was captivated. This book will make you realize that people aren't always what they appear. That outward appearance could be masking so much within a person. I think it will encourage you to unmask, and be the true you.

Several years ago, I attended the Mad Anthony's Writers Conference in Hamilton, OH. One of the lecturers pulled out a novel, When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin, and read aloud a passage. She said when she first read it in the privacy of her own home, she jumped up and screamed "NOOOO! You can't do that to me!" She cited the passage as an example of the type of writing readers love. Writing that can make you jump up and scream. Or cry. Or laugh.

I've just now finished "Unwritten." The last ten words before the Epilogue are perhaps the best climactic ending I have ever read. The first five made me cry. The last five had me laughing out loud...with the tears still rolling down my cheeks. Only a truly great writer can have that effect.

"Unwritten" is the story of two lost, wounded, and lonely souls: one a beach hermit--the other a famous actress. Their lives are interwoven through the machinations of a wily old priest who describes his ministry as "cutting out the gangrene." What follows is an operation that is both painful and healing.

Charles Martin's writing is vivid, alive, breathing. He hooks you early, sets the hook solidly, and reels you in so that you can't stand to set the book aside long enough to do simple things. Like eating. Or sleeping. Or mowing the lawn. Only a truly great author can do that. Charles Martin qualifies.

Highly Recommended!

When you meet Katie Quinn, she is literally hanging at the end of a rope in one of several suicide attempts. She has lost all will to live and is determined that her time on earth is done. Those on the outside see her as an actress who is beautiful, successful, talented and rich beyond dreams --- in essence, a woman with everything. But "Bella," as her father used to call her, has demons that do not let her rest. All she wants is "rest" from her pain. Father Steady Capri has known Katie most of her life; he has been her rock and something of a mentor for her. But the time comes when he cannot save her from herself. All his prayers and efforts to guide her back from the darkness of her anguish seem fruitless. He knows that it's not just a matter of time for Katie; it's a matter of how.

They say timing is everything in life. Living off the coast of Florida in the outskirts of the Everglades, on his own boat, is Peter, known to Father Capri as "Sunday." He loves the peace of this place, avoiding company at all costs and living quietly and alone in an area known as the Ten Thousand Islands. This is his choice. The one human who he truly loves is Steady Capri. Steady saved him when he thought all had been lost, and now there is a bond. Hiding from the world is really hiding from himself and a painful past that almost destroyed him. Now he chooses to leave memories behind and cope by reading wonderful books, fishing and never looking back. Every now and then, he pays a visit to his dear friend Steady. It's Christmas, and what better time could it be? Little does he know how his life will change.

Suddenly, there is a tangle of lives coming together. Planned in a kind of haphazard way, Steady has faith that pulling Katie and Sunday together will bring about something good. Steady, Katie and Sunday find themselves heading for France. It is here that Katie begins a long process of healing. In Sunday she has found a trusted friend and a wounded man. The pain they have in common has a healing element to it; though she shares some of her most personal stories with Sunday, she does not know his. She has no idea that he once was a world-famous children's author, nor does she realize the horror that caused him to retreat from that world and his writing.

Despite Katie's self-involvement, the help Sunday gives her begins to change him in unexpected ways. His protective layers are peeling away, and he finds that in giving to this lovely, sad woman, he is discovering things about himself. Still, he has not shared his story with her, nor has she asked him for it. It is his unwritten story, and if he did divulge it, what would happen? They move slowly toward a mutual goal of self-healing. Almost there, the world unexpectedly turns upside down, and Katie pulls away from both Sunday and Steady.

Charles Martin has a wide fan base that includes adults and teens alike. Like Jodi Picoult and Nicholas Sparks, his stories are character-driven. Martin allows you to love these people and want their wounded souls to mend in the best of ways. Even the most stoic of readers will find it hard not to shed a few tears at the book's ending. UNWRITTEN undoubtedly would be a terrific movie, either for the big screen or a made-for-TV special. Katie, Sunday and Father Steady Capri will stay with you long after the last wonderful page.

Reviewed by Sally M. Tibbetts